Yakira Chambers dies: The “NCIS: Hawai’i” actress and story editor was 42 years old

An upcoming episode of NCIS: Hawaii will pay tribute to Yakira Chambers, story editor for the CBS drama, who died suddenly last week at the age of 42.

Chambers’ family informed Deadline that the preliminary cause of death is attributed to acute asphyxiation. She was with her mother outside a mall in Newport Beach, Calif., on Wednesday night when she started having trouble breathing and then collapsed.

Chambers was promoted to Story Editor for Season 2 of NCIS: Hawaii after joining the show as a staff writer NCIS Four-episode spin-off debut season. She received the position of Associate following her selection as a mentee in the highly competitive ViacomCBS Writers Mentoring Program in 2020-2021.

The tribute to her will appear on a January episode of the show, which will air the week after a three-hour NCIS universe crossover event scheduled for January 2.

Chambers’ acting credits include HBO’s Uncertain; Saban Movies Jan Henrik (with Terry Crews); the short comedy series The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl (with Issa Rae); and the comedy series MO diariesCo-written by Lena Waithe in which she played Michelle Obama.

Besides her work NCIS: HawaiiChambers has developed several of her own projects, including a television pilot she wrote about imprisoned gang leader-turned-author and community service attorney Larry Hoover my temptationA TV Pilot’ about her own experiences growing up on the South Side [of Chicago] and attending a predominantly white high school.

Chambers was born in Chicago and graduated top of her class from the city’s Lindblom Math and Science Academy high school, according to her family. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree with a specialization in Information Management Systems from Southern Illinois University and later worked as a software quality assurance manager in St. Louis worked. She received her master’s degree in business administration from Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville, but moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.

In LA, she completed a two-year Meisner Intensive Acting Program at Joanne D. Baron/DW Brown Studio. Chambers also participated in the British American Drama Academy’s prestigious Midsummer in Oxford program; Alumni of the program include Ruth Negga, Paul Giamatti, Tracie Thoms and the late Chadwick Boseman.

Chambers’ first acting career came in 2007 in the movies eye sees medirected by Carlton Enoch and I now call you Chuck & Larrydirected by Dennis Dugan and starring Adam Sandler and Kevin James. She was a member of both SAG-AFTRA and the WKV.

Chambers is survived by her husband Anthony Welch, stepson André Welch and mother Constance Chambers. Her family started a GoFundMe campaign to help cover the funeral and other expenses. A memorial service is planned for Chambers, the date of which has yet to be determined.

Her family said of Chambers: “Her sudden and untimely death has saddened us all. Yakira was a light, a symbol of hope for our community, a steward of our culture, and a representation of what it’s like to chase your dreams. The family added: “Yakira’s passion went beyond her daily work in the shop; She loved helping others find a way out. She believed in equality and the demarginalization of people of color to create a level playing field for all. This passion materialized in the form of her CureConstanceFoundation, an organization born out of a need to find financial options for people in health crises.”

Constance Chambers, Yakira’s mother, told Deadline: “I miss her and will love her forever. I don’t know what to do without her.”